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The 2018 Annual General Meeting of the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation will take place on Friday, September 28th at 7:00 p.m. We welcome all current members and the general public to attend at the South Walsingham Women’s Institute Hall, 2070 Main Street in Walsingham. Agenda

We are delighted to announce this year’s speakers below.

Georgia Nix will bring you the perspective of today’s youth on environmental issues. LPWBRF is proud to sponsor Georgia to attend Ontario Nature’s 2018 Youth Summit for Biodiversity and Environmental Leadership from September 21st through 23rd. She is a grade 12 student at Delhi District High School and a member of her school’s Green Extreme Team. Ontario Nature’s Youth Summit for Biodiversity has been cultivating a new generation of environmental leaders since 2010. Each year, about 100 youth come together for this unique youth-led summit that allows participants to develop an understanding of environmental issues and gain the inspiration and tools to take action and leadership in their communities and beyond. The weekend-long event includes guest speakers, workshops and outdoor activities that appeal to a wide variety of environmental interests. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear Georgia discuss her experience.

Pete Zuzek is a Coastal Geoscientist with 25 years of experience working on consulting assignments across the coastal regions of the world. He is the founder and President of Zuzek Inc., a professional services company dedicated to increasing the health and resilience of the world’s coastal communities and ecosystems. Pete has extensive experience managing complex multidisciplinary investigations on coastal erosion and flooding, risk assessments, coastal zone planning, shoreline management plan development, water quality investigations, habitat protection and restoration, living shorelines, and climate change adaptation. Pete is currently the President of the Coastal Zone Canada Association.

As Brian Banks writes in the Summer edition of Ontario Nature magazine, “because, like many animals, its habitat is increasingly fragmented by highways – death traps for wildlife”.

Brian’ story explains the ambitious road ecology projects that are stemming the car-fueled carnage. His story, beginning on page 18, includes information about our Biosphere’s Long Point Causeway Improvement Project. Click here to read the article.

July 11, 2018: Mission Accomplished! Three years ago, the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve, in partnership with Norfolk County and funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, set out to feature 20 Amazing Places within the biosphere that adhered to sustainable tourism beliefs and practices. With the latest addition of the Attawandaron Cycling Trail last month, we have completed this project.

Come out and enjoy what beautiful Norfolk County has to offer! Amazing Places are must-visit destinations that are rich in natural history, have breathtaking scenery, and are home to extraordinary plants and wildlife.

Long Point, June 7, 2018: High water levels in the Long Point marshes this year will cause many turtles to search farther afield for dry nesting sites on roadsides or in cottage lawns and gardens. Nests laid in these areas are easy targets for predation by raccoons, skunks and possums.

That’s why the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation has teamed up with the Long Point Provincial Park to make turtle nest protection cages available for loan to the public. This turtle nest protection initiative is based on successful programs at Point Pelee National Park and Presqu’ile Provincial Park.

Long Point Provincial Park staff Starr Mudge and Brianne McCutcheon

with one of the turtle nest protection cages available on loan from the Park.

If you see a turtle laying eggs on your property, you can borrow a nest protection cage to place over the nest. It can be secured to the ground by the landscape spikes provided or by placing bricks or rocks on the edges of the cage. The cage should be left in place for at least two weeks until the scent of the turtle has disapated. It must be removed within two months so that turtle hatching aren’t trapped under it.

The nest cages may be obtained at the main office at the Long Point Provincial Park. Contact Anthony Ruymleskie, the Assistant Park Superintendent, or park staff at the office. To check on whether a nest protection cage is available, please call 519-586-2133. After removing the cage from the nest, please return it to the Provincial Park office.

If not nest cages are available, please consider making one yourself using these tips from the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre.

NORFOLK COUNTY, June 7, 2018 – The Long Point World Biosphere and Norfolk County celebrated the launch of the Attawandaron Cycling Route with an indigenous ceremony and a bike ride along a stretch of the 122km route.

The cycling route is dedicated to the indigenous people who lived along the shore of Lake Erie during the 16th and 17th centuries. The name “Attawandaron” means “people of a slightly different language”. To Europeans, they were known as the Neutral Nation. They lived in harmony with nature and did not significantly alter the landscape.

“The addition of the Attawandaron Cycling Route as our newest Amazing Place provides visitors and local residents with a special connection to Norfolk County’s natural and indigenous history while viewing wonderful scenery and lots of wildlife along the way” said John Everett representing the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation. “Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate our 20th Amazing Place in Norfolk County”.

Mayor Luke stated: “The dedication of the Attawandaron Cycle route along the north shore of Lake Erie is most significant. Norfolk’s history dates back to some of the earliest in the province and this dedicated route helps bring that to life. As well, this route assists in moving forward the important cycling destination that Norfolk has become!

Amazing Places are must-visit destinations that are rich in natural and local history, have breathtaking scenery, and are home to the some of the widest varieties of plants and wildlife in Canada.

The Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation brought the Amazing Places program to Norfolk County as part of its on-going efforts to promote sustainable tourism and communities with the Biosphere. The Foundation is also dedicated to conserving biodiversity and partnering in research, monitoring, outreach and education.

A special thank you goes to Margaret and Leon Fleury for joining us in today’s dedication. We were honoured that Leon who sits as the Traditional Knowledge Keeper on the Clear Water Métis Council led us in the dedication.

Thank you to Lakeside Vista, Ontario’s South Coast Bicycles and Tours Inc. Red Apple Rides and for hosting our launch and Margaret and Leon Fleury for the dedication ceremony!

Our Amazing Places in Norfolk County are:

Backus Heritage Conservation Area

Backus Woods

Black Bridge – Waterford Heritage Trail

Big Creek National Wildlife Area

Bonnieheath Estate Lavender & Winery

Canada’s First Forestry Station

Deer Creek Conservation Area

Joe Csubak Viewing Area

Long Point Bird Observatory

Long Point Eco Adventures

Long Point Provincial Park Beach

Lynn Valley Trail

Port Dover Harbour Museum

Port Rowan Wetlands

Quance Dam & Mill

Sand Hill Park

Sutton Conservation Area

Waterford Agriculture & Heritage Museum

Whistling Gardens

Attawandaron Cycling Route

We would like to thank the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Ontario Trillium Foundation and Norfolk County Tourism and Economic Development Department for their support of the Amazing Places project in the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve and Norfolk County. To view our Amazing Places in Norfolk: www.VisitAmazingPlaces.ca/long-point and www.longpointbiosphere.com

Simcoe, ON, June 5, 2018– Representatives from 18 biosphere reserves co-hosted a non-partisan Reception on Parliament Hill on June 5, 2018, to allow Members of Parliament the opportunity to learn about the important role and contributions of Canada’s 18 UNESCO biosphere reserves.

One such biosphere was our very own Long Point World Biosphere Reserve (LPWBR). They were represented by the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation (LPWBRF), where they showcased their partnership with the Long Point Phragmites Action Alliance. This partnership has a membership of more then 25 organizations whose mandate and focus is to unite the community in fighting back against the invasive Phragmites Australis. More commonly known as the Common Reed, it is the number one threat to biodiversity and the sustainability of the rare and ecologically significant Long Point wetlands.

The Foundation also informed MPs of the work that they accomplished with other Biosphere Reserves in piloting the Amazing Places tourism program to promote local sustainable businesses. The pilot program was so successful that it is now being considered for implementation by Biosphere Reserves across Canada and in the northeastern United States.

“We are very excited about the success that this pilot project has had and we are looking forward to seeing it implemented across Canada. As a result of this, we are now collaborating with Environment Canada and Climate Change and numerous other organizations to develop and implement a long-term Integrated Conservation strategy for Long Point so that future generations can enjoy it,” said Dave Cameron, Chair of the LPWBRF.

“I was pleased to welcome Dave Cameron from the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation as they showcased to other parliamentarians the most diverse botanical and wildlife areas in Canada, said Haldimand-Norfolk MP Diane Finley.

“With over 1,380 types of plants and over 640 different bird and animal species, it has become much more than an environmental wonder: Long Point has become an economic and tourist hub for our community. I was glad to be a part of the Conservative Government that worked with our international partners and created the National Conservation Plan, which would protect our biospheres for future generations to enjoy.”

LPWBR was designated by UNESCO in 1986. Long Point itself is a 40km long sand spit created over the last 4,000 years by erosion deposits on the north shore of Lake Erie. It contains one of the only remaining old- growth Carolinian deciduous forests in the country and is a significant migratory bird corridor, with an internationally significant wetland complex. The Long Point peninsula is home to very significant populations of Species at Risk and some of the highest density of biodiversity in Canada.

Biosphere Reserves are considered to be learning sites established by countries and recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science.